How exciting it is to go on a cycling adventure?!
I honestly feel lucky to be able to do it every day during the spring and the summer.
For those who don’t know me personally, I am one of the hosts and leaders at Le Monastere Adventures in Limoux, France, where you can join us on a week long cycling vacation.
While our routine is built around roads, weather and cycling, each day can and does create it’s own challenge.
The obvious challenge when we talk about cycling is the profile of the route. Flats, false flats (our guests will get this joke!), hills, mountains…
Mountains lead me to the real challenge I faced last year, when we were about to leave to one of our special trips to the french Alps, with a one day stop at the famous Mont. Ventoux.
While the challenge of one of our guests was to beat his friend’s record up Mont. Ventoux (and he did!), my goal was to pack as light as possible and still have everything I need.
If we skip to the end for a sentence or two, I ended up packing too many cycling cloths in general, and too many bib shorts, if to be more specific. This is why I’m writing this blog post, it is basically a reminder for myself of what to pack this season, as we are about to go on 4 special trips to Spain and it will be valuable to finally know how to pack lighter.
In order to try and make my list somewhat organised, I started it with the items I need to take only one of each, then move to two of each, three, four, etc. Here is a short version of my list, just so you’ll get the point:
1 - Helmet 1 - Sunglasses 1 - Chamois cream 2 - Short jerseys 2 - Water bottles 3 - Cycling socks 3 - Tops 4 - Underwear 6 - Bib shorts Now, I have a question to add to the list of the world’s unanswered questions. You know, the list the Dalai Lama deals with…
To understand my reference, watch this: http://bit.ly/2EtA5KU
So, “Why do hotdogs come in packages of 10 and hotdog’s buns come in packages of 8?!”
And, Why (the #3!!) do I pack 2 short jerseys and when it comes to bib shorts I pack all the bib shorts I own?!
Looking back, I now know I used only 3 bib shorts during our 10 days trip (I rode 7 days). 2 of the bib shorts I used 3 times and one of them I used once.
This is my reminder, if I want to achieve my goal to pack smarter and lighter, I should pack only 3 bib shorts! Optional, even, only two bib shorts, but let’s not stretch it, as I won’t always be that motivated to do my laundry as soon as I finish the ride.
Here is my review, recommendation, and a sneak peek to the bib shorts I wore the most:
The bib is light-weight, gives you the compression feel, stretchy, comfortable, and fits well all together.
You can find the full description of the chamois here: http://bit.ly/2DT61LJ but more importantly, it is comfortable to ride and does the work (unlike the other 4-5 bib shorts I packed and don't use)
The leg grippers are doubled-over fabric, which creates a band of lycra fabric that compresses, to keep the shorts in place. And it does!
In Funkier's words: "A higher level for function, style and convenience! Unclasp the snap locks in both the front/back to detach the bib and the shorts pull down for quick nature breaks."
In my words: "It's a game changer"
Funkier came up with a fantastic line of bib shorts for women that look great, comfortable on the bike, feels amazing, and going to help me solve my “packing too many bib shorts” issue! Go ahead, comment and share your experience with different bib shorts and packing problems. Until the next time #BeMore and #RideFunkier,
Einat
Funkier: https://www.funkierbike.com/
To book your next cycling adventure: http://lemonastereadventures.com/